


Disorientation

by bluemermaid



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adultery, Bathroom Sex, Coming Out, F/F, F/M, Infidelity, Post-Canon, Semi-Public Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-05
Updated: 2015-03-05
Packaged: 2018-03-16 11:51:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3487244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluemermaid/pseuds/bluemermaid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A chance meeting in a restaurant leads to some startling revelations.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Disorientation

There were too many people in the restaurant.

Katie Bell felt it right away, as soon as the ornate glass doors swung open before her, revealing a large open space that was absolutely filled to the brim with humans. Hands trembling, Katie turned to her new fiancée, eyes wide in a silent shout of protest.

Eric Cartwright smiled down upon her and placed a warm, comforting hand upon her back. "What's wrong, Kat?" He asked genially, gently ushering her through the entryway. "Aren't you hungry?"

She couldn't put it into words, the sudden inexplicable urge to be elsewhere, a terrifying sense of nudity before the casual diners of the restaurant. "It's just so crowded," she said quietly, clutching his arm as they stepped up to be seated. A smiling older woman guided them to a well-lit table in the center of the room, where Eric pulled out a chair and helped Katie be seated. He did not speak until the waitress had taken their drink orders and walked away.

"What's to be worried about?" He asked casually, flipping through the lunch menu. "We've gone out to lunch a hundred times before."

"It's different now," said Katie, nervously fingering her ring. The diamond sparkled brightly under the sunlight, piercing Katie's eyes with its radiant shine. As she played with the band, twisting it back and forth upon her finger, she looked up at her fiancé and frowned. Slowly placing one hand upon the other in her lap, she obscured her new engagement ring under the table. "I just feel like they can see who I am now."

Eric's confusion softened almost immediately. "Hey," he said with a gentle smile, leaning in over the table and lowering his voice, "it's all right; nobody can tell. You aren't planning on levitating us during the tea, are you?" He grinned.

Katie sighed impatiently. "It's not that," she said, irritated by his assumptions. "I'm quite capable of living amongst Muggles without trouble; we've done it a thousand times before. It's just us, this new thing between us. This." She held up her left hand, showing him the dazzle of her diamond ring.

Eric's grin only widened. "Well, what's wrong with that?" He asked, leaning back in his seat. "I'm half-ready to jump up on the table and sing your praises to the entire restaurant."

Katie's face flushed, as it always did when she was embarrassed. "I just don't feel comfortable bring so public about it yet."

Now the grin began to fade. "You're not having second thoughts, are you?" Eric's brow furrowed with worry.

Katie was spared having to respond to the question by a loud shout from somewhere very nearby. "Katie! Katie Bell?" Katie turned her head quickly towards the shout, startled and delighted by the familiar voice. "I just knew it was you. Couldn't possibly forget the face of a teammate, now, could I?"

"George Weasley," Katie said excitedly, jumping out of her seat with a wide grin upon her face. "How wondrous to see you! It's been absolutely ages; how have you been? Merlin, you must have –"

She reached out to throw her arms about him and broke off abruptly, catching sight of the woman standing behind George. Tall and graceful, smirking knowingly with her arms crossed across her chest, Angelina managed to somehow suck all the air out of the room before ever saying a word. "Oh," said Katie, breathless.

There was a fumbling moment of awkwardness, George laughing as he closed the gap and hugged Katie, the blonde girl feeling utterly stupid for absolutely no reason whatsoever. "It has been ages," said George fondly, releasing Katie and smirking at her. "We've missed the old gang, haven't we, Angel?"

Angelina's smile faded slightly, her eyes taking on a faraway gleam. "We have." She touched Katie lightly, fingers sliding across her shoulder, and Katie remembered flying, the swoop in her stomach as she dived for the Quaffle. "Could we join you, just for a moment? I'd love to catch up." Angelina was smiling brightly again, her gaze pouring into Katie, the older woman seeming to take in every inch of Katie's body.

Katie squirmed slightly under the scrutiny, wondering if she was simply imagining the intense look in Angelina's eyes. "Of course," she said, too eagerly, and turned to look upon her fiancé, who was still sitting at the table and looking at her with a sort of amused bewilderment. "This is Eric, my, er," she struggled, unwilling to say the word, "my boyfriend. Eric, these are two of my old Gryffindor teammates, George Weasley and Angelina Johnson."

"Weasley," said Angelina, pulling out a chair and sliding into it seamlessly, flashing a bright finger to the group with a smile.

"Oh, my," said Katie, frozen, thinking of her own ring and fighting a sudden ache in her stomach. "You two are --? That's just, it's so wonderful." There were tears in her eyes.

"Sit down, Kat, you're holding up the waitress," said Eric, reaching out to her gently. Katie jumped as, indeed, their waitress brushed up against her side, holding two glasses of soda water.

"Excuse me," said Katie, feeling stupid again. She took the closest chair and was startled to find that she'd ended up across from Angelina. The older woman winked at her, and Katie felt her face flush.

"Oi, bring us a bottle of wine, would you?" George asked jovially, spreading his arms wide. "We're having a jolly old reunion over here." He clasped Angelina's hand tightly. "We're celebrating."

Now it was Angelina's turn to look uncomfortable. "Let's not," she said quickly. "It's early in the day, George."

"Just a glass, Angel," he said loudly. He waved the waitress on eagerly. "Go on, then, the best you've got. A treat, eh?" He grinned at Katie, who smiled back feebly.

"Katie and I are going to be married as well," Eric said, grinning as he placed a hand upon Katie's shoulder. He was heavy and warm on her skin, and Katie shifted slightly, uncomfortable under the weight. Eric's smile faded slightly as his hand drew back.

Angelina raised her eyebrows. "Congratulations," she said, a trifle too seriously. Katie avoided meeting her eyes.

"All the more reason to celebrate," said George, patting Katie on the back roughly. "We've all grown and moved and changed." He paused briefly, sharing a look with Angelina. "These are happy times." He grinned.

"So what have you been up to?" Katie asked, directing her question to George. She could feel Angelina's eyes upon her, but could not yet bring herself to meet that stare. It was incredibly unnerving having her across the table, such a potent reminder of a better time in her life, when things were exciting and carefree. She felt more trapped than ever in the crowded restaurant.

"Still managing the shop, of course," George said breezily. "You haven't been by since the start, have you? We've grown hugely since the end of the war. We've got a branch in Hogsmeade, as well as the original in Diagon Alley. We've expanded our Muggle magic line, as well as developed a startling array of wizarding gadgets." He sighed happily. "It's like forever play," he said, eyes glittering with excitement. "I love my job."

Katie smiled at him; his joy was infectious. "Sounds thrilling," she said. "You must get a lot of business."

"Young ones love us," George replied. "We're always stuffed to the brim with Hogwarts students."

"Pardon me, but do you run the place alone? You keep saying 'we,' and I –." Katie broke off with a startled gasp as somebody kicked her hard under the table. Her eyes snapped directly across the way, where Angelina was giving her a desperate, wide-eyed look.

"Er, well, there's Verity, a young witch who manages things when I can't be around, but I am sole owner of the enterprise," said George, his excitement vanishing like smoke. "Of course."

Katie felt stupid again. "I'm so sorry," she said, automatically, reaching out to touch his shoulder. She'd known, of course, about Fred, but somehow she hadn't realized the effect it would have to mention him, however indirectly. Sometimes Katie went days without remembering anything of the war, but she supposed it was different when you hadn't lost anyone so important.

George forced a smile, which fell a little flat. "No worries," he said. "What are we having for lunch?"

Eric, clearly out of the loop, set down his menu and smiled at the group. "I don't know about you, but I'm starved. I hear this place has delicious soup and sandwich meals."

Angelina, reluctantly, picked up her menu and opened it. Katie glanced over to find the older woman peering at her over the top of the page. "What brings you out here, by the way?" Katie asked, meeting her gaze and ignoring the steady heat at the back of her neck. "I'd have thought you'd stick to, you know, our sort of areas."

"We like to explore from time to time," said Angelina softly, lowering her menu slightly so as to see Katie better. She smiled, slowly, and Katie felt like there might be a snake in her abdomen. "I hear Muggles do wonders with soup and sandwich meals." Katie grinned, somewhat reluctantly.

"Now, look, you can't spend your life cooped up with other wizards," said Eric, irritated, as this was a subject often discussed with Katie. "Muggles are people, too, and they can't possibly know what you are just from looking at you."

Angelina regarded him as though she hadn’t realized he'd been sitting there. "And I suppose we wouldn't have met you at school," she said, her intentions clear.

"As a matter of fact, I was in Hufflepuff, not that it makes any difference," said Eric. "I finished a few years before Kat."

"I have nothing against Muggles," said Angelina hotly. "Now mind your voice, there are people about."

Eric rolled his eyes and turned to Katie. "Have you decided what you'd like?" He asked, softly, delicately, placing his hand lightly upon hers on the table. He leaned in towards her and whispered so that only she could hear, "Maybe we ought to get out of here."

Katie shook her head firmly. "I haven't seen them in years," she hissed back, sliding her hand out from beneath his. "Don't be so judgmental."

Eric's eyes opened wide, but before he could protest, the wine arrived. "Ah," said George loudly, clearly trying to disperse the sudden tension at the table, "Who'll have a drink? Not you, my love, of course," he said, winking in Angelina's direction. "Eric, Katie? Go on, it's on me."

Angelina gave her husband a stern look before turning her eyes back to Katie. "I think I need to visit the washroom." She glanced around briefly. "Do you know where it is, Katie?"

"Oh, yes," said Katie, suddenly eager to get away from the stifling air at the table. "It's in the far corner; I'll show you the way." She rose quickly.

Angelina smiled broadly and stood more slowly, easing herself out of her chair with a subtle grace. "We'll be a few minutes," she said to George, lightly touching his shoulder.

"I'll order you one of these famous sandwiches," George replied with a smirk, raising the menu to her in a mock toast.

"Kat?" Katie turned to her fiancé, who was staring at her as though he might never see her again. Eric put his menu down and silently mouthed something unintelligible. Katie thought it might have been "I love you," but she wasn't certain. Nodding distractedly, she walked away, leading Angelina, one of the best friends she'd ever had, towards the lavatory.

"I wish we could have kept in touch," Katie said several minutes later, washing her hands at the sink as she waited for Angelina. "Maybe then things wouldn't be so awkward between us now."

The door to a stall opened, revealing a surprised Angelina. "You must know," she said, disbelieving, sauntering over to the sinks. In lieu of washing she merely stood there, staring at Katie in that unnerving way she had, making the younger woman feel stupid again.

"Know?" Katie couldn't manage to say anything else, what with feeling thoroughly confused and awkward and very unnaturally warm all over.

Angelina was standing very close. "Why you feel so awkward," she said. A slow smile spread across her features. She placed her hand upon Katie's arm and let her fingers trail down the pale skin. "You must know."

Katie swallowed hard. "It's been a long time," she said, uncertain of her own words.

Angelina took a step back and regarded Katie curiously. "Your man out there," she said, jerking her thumb towards the restaurant proper. "You can't possibly be in love with him."

"I wouldn’t agree to marry him otherwise," Katie said softly, glancing down at the floor. The tiles were a very ugly brown.

"I'm sure he's a perfectly nice chap," said Angelina. She touched Katie's chin, gently directing her face up and making their eyes meet. "But that's just it, isn't it?"

"What?" Katie asked, breathless, her face flushed, her brain scrambled.

"He's a chap," said Angelina.

Katie couldn't move, couldn't stop the rush of adrenaline that shot through her veins as Angelina leaned forward and pressed her mouth to Katie's. The black woman was soft and warm and tasted like citrus fruit, and Katie was flooded with memories, her brain conjuring the image of a younger Angelina soaring by Katie on her old broomstick, tossing grins and Quaffles with equal ease. Katie remembered thrilling victories with long group hugs, the way she could feel Angelina's warmth long after she'd broken away. She remembered early morning practice sessions, clowning around with the twins, mid-air flips and accidental collisions, Angelina's joyous laughter as the girls scored challenging goals. There was the time Katie had fallen hard off her broom stick, Angelina's concerned kindness as she'd carefully helped the blonde to her feet, one long slender arm slung around Katie's shoulders. Team photos flashed before her, the memory of sitting between Angelina and Alicia, the three of them giggling madly as the twins pulled faces, Angelina tickling the other two girls so that they could barely breathe. And with the memory of Alicia Spinnet came a thousand other things, and Katie snapped back to reality, the cold fright of an unfamiliar washroom, and she shoved hard, panicking, pushing Angelina away from her and struggling to catch her breath.

"What in Merlin's name?" She leaned over, hands on her stomach, head literally pounding as the world swam before her eyes. "I feel ill."

Angelina did not seem concerned. On the contrary, she was grinning. "You're quite adorable, Katie." She placed a hand on Katie's shoulder. "You're all right, come on."

Katie shot up abruptly and pushed the other girl away again, panting. "You can't just come in here and kiss me like this," she said loudly. "It's just not right. We're both engaged, you just can't. What about George, what about Alicia?" The words tumbled out of her like vomit, violent and uncontrollable. She didn't even know what she was saying.

Angelina took a step back, still grinning, still so gracefully suave and sure and everything Katie wasn't, and she laughed. "So you do know."

Katie shook her head roughly, her mind catching up to her words, and leaned back against the cool wall, breathing heavily. "I don't," she said quickly, frightened by her loss of control. "I swear, I don't know anything."

Angelina sauntered towards her and slowly put her hand on Katie's shoulder. Katie stared straight ahead, afraid to look, afraid to admit that the feel of Angelina, her hands and her warm breath against Katie's neck, were making the blonde feel hot and swirling and tingling all over.

Angelina slid down the wall and spoke softly against Katie's neck; her warm breath sent terrifying shivers down Katie's spine. "You've known it all the time, Katie. There's no need to be frightened; we're alone here. You can be yourself with me. I know what it's like, the revelation, the fear of discovery. But you had that a long time ago, didn't you? When you saw us."

There was no question as to who she spoke of. The words sent Katie back to an empty changing room after a Quidditch game. She didn't remember which game it had been; all she remembered was being alone and pulling her robes on, turning to head back to the castle and hearing an odd rustling of clothes and a stifled moan. Startled, Katie froze, listening, wondering who could possibly be here when she'd thought for sure everyone had left. A long moment of silence, and then, again, a moan and a giggle, decidedly female. Hot embarrassment swept around Katie like a fog, and though she knew she really shouldn't, that it really wouldn't be right at all, she could not stop herself from creeping closer. The sound had come from behind a curtained changing booth, and just when she'd managed to convince herself to turn away, the curtain was pulled open from the inside, and Katie was met with the image of her Chaser teammates -- Alicia curled sensuously around Angelina, the black girl gently suckling on Alicia's earlobe as the latter tried unsuccessfully to pull away.

"Come on, they'll be wondering," said Alicia, and then she looked out at Katie, who was still standing, frozen, in front of the scene. Angelina's hands were flittering about beneath Alicia's robes, and Alicia had to struggle to catch her breath, eyes wide at the sight of their fellow Chaser standing and watching everything.

"Let them wonder," said Angelina in an unusually husky voice, trying to pull Alicia back beneath her robe.

"Angelina." Alicia's voice was so hard that Angelina froze, eyes opening slowly and taking in the scene.

"Oh," said Katie, tears springing to her eyes. "Oh, Merlin, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, really! Please, forgive me, I didn't mean to." She stumbled backwards, desperate to escape, trying to pretend that she hadn't seen exactly what was going on before her.

"You should have gone back to the castle," Alicia said sternly, eyes narrowed, her hands clenching into fists. "This is none of your business."

Katie couldn't bear to see the anger and hurt in her Alicia's eyes, and so she looked instead at Angelina, who was still sitting and slowly pulling her hands out of Alicia's clothing. "I'm sorry," Katie said again, hands on her face. Her fear was tearing at her insides, and the feeling was only getting worse as she realized that Angelina didn't seem angry at her at all. On the contrary, Angelina was actually smiling at Katie, giving her the sort of look she'd only seen before on the men she'd dated, a sly and sultry grin. "Oh," said Katie, starting to cry again, and she turned away quickly, breaking into a run as she headed back to the castle, hoping to outrun this disaster.

"You liked what you saw," said Angelina now, bringing Katie back once again to the present. Angelina leaned forward and gently licked Katie's neck, a thrilling sensation that caused the blonde to involuntarily moan aloud. "You couldn't sleep that night. Your body buzzed with the revelation. You just kept thinking about it, seeing it on your eyelids every time you closed your eyes. The way I touched Alicia. You touched yourself that night, didn't you? You soaked your knickers every time you looked at us together after that, every time I hugged her. You realized what it meant eventually, that you could never feel so alive with a man, not like you did when you thought about me."

Katie nodded, her eyes shut tight. She had tried so desperately to shut these things away, and now here they were again, tumbling gently into her ear with the voice of the very angel who'd first put them there. "Yes," she hissed, her voice a trembling whisper. There was freedom in the word, and the knot in her stomach slowly unfurled like a banner. "I wanted to feel the way you made Alicia feel."

"And you want it now," said Angelina, letting her hands wander, fingers pulling at the edge of Katie's modest pleated skirt. "From the second you saw me today, you wanted me to take you in here and do this to you."

"The people," said Katie, gasping as Angelina's fingers slid beneath her clothes, her warm softness caressing Katie's inner thigh. "Somebody could come in."

"We'll have to move quickly, then," said Angelina, withdrawing her hand quickly. Katie felt cold and empty without her, but the feeling was short-lived. Angelina grabbed her hand and dragged her roughly into a toilet stall, shutting the door with a loud bang. They'd barely made it inside before Angelina was pressing her lips forcefully to Katie's and pushing her up against the door, her hands sliding roughly up Katie's torso and squeezing her breasts through her shirt.

"Oh, my," said Katie, as a hot flush crept up her skin. Angelina pulled back to flash her a sultry grin, the same look she'd given Katie that day in the changing room.

"Don't talk," said Angelina with a fierce passion. She kissed Katie again, this time thrusting her hands up Katie's skirt, her fingers sliding along Katie's inner thighs. Their tongues met, and Katie shut her eyes, just letting go and losing herself. She'd thought she'd gotten over this fantasy, that it had vanished like the rest of her school days, but now that it was finally happening, she knew that she had always carried it with her, like a tiny golden nugget hidden in the bottom of her shoe.

Katie slowly moved her hands over Angelina's body, savoring the soft feel of her, fondling her breasts and squeezing her butt before throwing her arms around Angelina's waist and pulling her tightly to her own body, needing as much physical contact as she could get.

Angelina laughed softly into Katie's mouth and pulled back slightly, quickly kissing along Katie's jaw until she had reached the earlobe, which she took between her teeth and nibbled on gently. Katie started to moan again, but Angelina slapped a hand over her mouth. Down below, Angelina's other hand inched ever so slightly up Katie's thigh, her slender fingers rising up towards Katie's wet knickers. Nothing but the merest inch of fabric separated Angelina's hand from Katie's skin; never in Katie's life had she ever wanted anything as badly as she wanted this, for this trembling ache inside of her to be stroked and soothed by Angelina.

The older woman could sense Katie's growing impatience; she chuckled again before moving her lips to Katie's neck, sucking gently upon her skin as her hands froze at the edge of Katie's knickers. Katie moaned and squirmed against Angelina in a desperate, silent begging game. Angelina slowly let one finger trail across Katie's crotch, stroking the wet cotton of her knickers, and just as Katie thought she would surely die if Angelina did not touch her, the older woman slid her hand inside and—

The door banged open, and two chattering Muggles swept in, turning on the sinks. Katie froze instantly, eyes were wide with fright, but Angelina kept a tight hold over her mouth. She slowly slid her hand out from under Katie's skirt and lifted her head from Katie's neck to look the blonde in the eyes with a wordless warning. They stayed that way, waiting, as the ache and the heat slowly faded from Katie's body, to be replaced with a cold fear and awkwardness. She supposed she was lucky the Muggles hadn't turned to use the stalls, as surely one of them would have noticed two pairs of legs in one stall. Eternity slowly ticked by as the women washed their hands and talked about some shopping expedition they'd evidently just been on, and Katie could feel her legs trembling. Finally, the water shut off, the door opened and closed, and Angelina released her, stepping back to smile at her partner. Katie's face was flushing with bright heat, but as Angelina smiled at her, she couldn't help but laugh. Soon the two of them were giggling madly, arms around one another and bounding out of the stall with the giddy excitement that comes with getting away with public naughtiness.

As Katie washed her hands again, she watched herself in the mirror. Her face was flushed bright pink, which it often was, but there was a brightness in her eyes that she couldn't remember ever seeing before. Beside her, Angelina shut off her sink and came up behind Katie, placing her wet hands on the blonde's shoulders. "I'd love to just ravish you right here on the floor," she said seductively, "but the men will be waiting."

Katie nodded with a shy smile, and silently dried her hands. Angelina grinned at her and squeezed her shoulder before opening the door. Katie followed the older woman out of the bathroom and back to their table, where their food was already waiting for them.

Taking her seat, Katie felt as though her infidelity was written all over her red face, but Eric just smiled kindly at her. "Your soup's just arrived," he told her happily. "It's not gone cold yet, so you're lucky."

George beamed at his wife. "I was beginning to think you'd fallen into the toilet."

"You know me," said Angelina with an answering grin. "I'm just so clumsy."

Katie could barely even pretend to eat her meal as the three people around her dug in. The revelations, the change, the heat in her stomach were all too much for her, and she felt like eating would only make everything worse. She couldn't have that, not when things were suddenly looking bright and exciting. The restaurant didn't even seem so crowded anymore.

Nobody seemed to notice that anything was wrong with her or her half-eaten food, and the conversation flowed around her, with tales of work and jokes about hiding magic from Muggles. Once or twice, Angelina nudged Katie with her foot under the table, sending a blush and a smile to Katie's face as she nudged back.

As the group stood to leave some time later, Angelina slipped a small slip of paper into Katie's hands. "This is my address," she said softly. "You must come visit me sometime."

"Angel gets lonely when I'm at the shop," George said jovially, slapping Katie on the back. "I'm sure having you around would cure that."

"And a lot of other things," added Angelina, making Katie's face flush again.

"Kat needs a friend, too," said Eric, slinging a casual arm around the blonde's shoulders. "We were just talking about that the other day. She's always so cooped up in the house; it's not healthy."

"George will be gone all day Monday," said Angelina. "We'll have plenty of time to catch up on the things we've missed."

Her meaning seemed so obvious to Katie, and yet the men were smiling and nodding as though nothing in the world were wrong. It was so like Eric, the blonde realized, to stand there talking about her needs and completely miss the point. He was awfully kind, but it was never the right sort of kind. Filled with a sudden certainty, Katie stepped forward and threw her arms about Angelina, promising the older woman that she would definitely come to visit on Monday. Sometime before then Katie would have a talk with Eric about their engagement. And after that, nothing in the world would be wrong again.


End file.
